PDP faction criticises Tinubu’s visit to Jos over Palm Sunday killings

The Kabiru Turaki-led PDP described President Tinubu's visit as “performative and superficial,” arguing that it would have been better for the president to remain in Abuja than to make a “disgraceful display.”

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Turaki has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Jos, the Plateau State capital, to commiserate with victims of the Palm Sunday attack.

Dozens of people were killed last Sunday in Angwan Rukuba area of Jos, while several others sustained injuries after gunmen stormed the area and opened fire on them. The exact number of casualties remains unclear, and no terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Witnesses said the attackers infiltrated a popular local bar, posing as customers before opening fire on those inside. Others reportedly arrived in vehicles and began shooting at people gathered at a roadside market and a nearby church, where residents had assembled to celebrate Palm Sunday.

Jos, located in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, has a long history of conflict between predominantly Christian farming communities and mostly Muslim herders. Although violence often occurs in rural areas, the city has also witnessed major clashes in the past, including the 2010 crisis that left hundreds dead over a three-month period.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) condemned the killings and urged the government to take proactive measures to address insecurity across the country.

On Friday, President Tinubu visited Plateau State to commiserate with victims and assured residents that such attacks would not recur.

However, reacting to the visit, the Turaki-led PDP faction said the president’s trip offered little comfort to grieving families and criticised his remarks as lacking empathy and diplomacy.

“The President’s insensitivity and inhumanity were on full display. His impatience with the audience was glaring when he declared that the “airport does not have light” and that he had only 10 minutes before flying back to Abuja. His visit and words offered no succour to the victims. Instead, his contempt for the people was revealed. His words were not diplomatic and very far from soothing. This is not how to lead,” the faction’s spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, said in a statement on Friday.

The faction described the visit as “performative and superficial,” arguing that it would have been better for the president to remain in Abuja than to make a “disgraceful display.”

“We wholly condemn this performative and superficial show by the Presidency. It would have been better for President Tinubu to have stayed back in Abuja than to mount this disgraceful display that added salt to the injury of the victims of this massacre.

“The President’s inability to leave the airport is clearly linked to the untamed insecurity that has overwhelmed the nation’s security agencies. That the President himself fears venturing into Plateau State is a damning indication of the hopelessness into which the Tinubu APC-led administration has plunged this country,” he added.

Mr Ememobong also called on the president to adopt community engagement strategies as part of efforts to curb insecurity nationwide.